Mulberry Jam

For three weeks each summer the north east corner of our back yard is covered in mushy, rotting mulberries that drop from our neighbor’s tree. Worse still is the gritty, indigo mulberry bird poo that splops onto every chair and table in the yard. As Eckhart Tolle is fond of saying, that which you resist, persists. So this year, further inspired by the renowned forager Euell Gibbons, I decided to stop resisting and make some jam. It took me ten years to do something useful with the berries, but only a few moments to regret it – the jam was delicious!

Mulberry Jam

Ingredients

4 cups mulberries, hulled and rinsed
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
Juice and zest of one lemon

Preparation

1. Combine berries, sugar, and lemon juice in a medium sauce pan.
2. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Simmer gently for 40 minutes.
3. Add lemon zest and continue simmering until it thickens, about 5-10 minutes.
4. Preserve in sterilized jars according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Makes 2 1/2 cups.

Smarter Mulberry Jam

A few things inspired me to try a short cut with my second batch: My husband didn’t care for the chunkiness of the berries; hulling the berries took me almost an hour; and my hands and cuticles are still stained from the first batch. This time I left the stems on and pureed them in the food processor. The equally delicious second batch had a pleasingly smooth texture with nary a stem in sight.